Share “Justice report indicates sexual abuse high...”

Nearly one in five juveniles surveyed in Oklahoma juvenile detention facilities reported some form of sexual abuse while in custody, according to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Justice.

File photo - One of the girls at the Central Oklahoma Juvenile Center in Tecumseh - Photo by David McDaniel

The Justice Department report, which surveyed more than 8,000 youths in 326 facilities across the country in 2012, placed Oklahoma fourth for highest rate of victimization, at 18.4 percent, nearly double the national average of 9.5 percent. Ohio, South Carolina and California were the only states with higher victimization rates.

The survey covered nearly half of the estimated 18,000 youths in detention facilities in the country. In Oklahoma, however, the sample size was much smaller, as the 46 youths surveyed represented only about 13 percent of the up to 356 state-run secure detention beds.

The Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs operates facilities in Tecumseh and Manitou, plus several facilities with lower security levels. In a written statement, the agency expressed some concerns about the study's accuracy. It cited issues outlined in the Justice Department report, particularly that some of the surveys lasted less than 10 minutes and that some youth reported to facility staff that they had been untruthful. However, the study included measures to flag and exclude questionable survey results.

MORE FROM NEWSOK

Editor's note: Oklahoma Watch is a nonprofit investigative team established to report on public policy issues in Oklahoma. It is funded by the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Tulsa Community Foundation.